Musician Alexandre Astier spotted wearing a Tag Heuer

Alexandre Astier, the French polymath behind the cult series Kaamelott and a committed watch enthusiast, was recently photographed in a group setting with what appears to be a vintage Heuer Silverstone on his wrist — a chronograph that occupies a very specific and coveted corner of the vintage sports watch market.

The watch visible in the accompanying close-up image is a Heuer Silverstone in stainless steel, featuring the characteristic cushion-shaped case with softly rounded corners that defined the model's bold 1970s identity. The dial is a rich navy blue, printed with the pre-TAG 'Heuer' script logo and the 'Silverstone' designation beneath. The layout is a classic two-register automatic chronograph: a running seconds subdial at 9 o'clock and a 30-minute counter at 3 o'clock, with a date window at 6. The bezel carries a tachymeter scale, and the case is fitted on what appears to be a dark leather strap, consistent with period or sympathetic replacement straps common on well-preserved examples.

The movement powering the Silverstone was the Calibre 12, a micro-rotor automatic chronograph ebauche developed jointly by Heuer, Breitling, Hamilton-Büren, and Dubois-Dépraz — a genuine landmark in chronograph history as one of the first truly automatic chronograph movements to reach commercial production. The Silverstone debuted in 1974, named after the iconic British Grand Prix circuit, and was produced in variants including blue, black, and orange dials, with the blue dial in steel being among the most sought-after today.

For collectors, the Heuer Silverstone occupies a sweet spot: it is less mainstream than the Autavia or Carrera but carries equal technical pedigree and far stronger visual personality. The cushion case design was radical in 1974 and reads as almost proto-avant-garde today. Condition is everything — original dials with crisp printing and unpolished cases command significant premiums.

Astier's appreciation for the piece fits the profile of a discerning collector who values horological narrative over brand recognition alone. The Heuer Silverstone in blue steel is a serious vintage choice — subtle to the uninitiated, immediately legible to anyone who knows their chronograph history. On the grey market, well-preserved examples regularly trade between $8,000 and $18,000 depending on condition and dial originality.